Chapter 13

Adrenaline shot through Tony's veins and pounded in his ears as he spun on his heel away from Obadiah's dwindling screams. The basement door opened before he got to it, and he barrelled through without sparing a glance for the other Avengers. Tony took the stairs two at a time until he burst into the familiar space of the compound, wincing at the sudden assault by the fluorescent lighting.

He leaned against the cool stone and pressed his palms against the wall, letting his chin drop heavily towards his chest. Fuck. He really did it. He actually killed a man. And not just a man either, no, his godfather.

Holy Shit.

Tony braced himself for a rush of panic at the consequences of his actions, but he frowned when it just...never came. Instead, his brow furrowed as he pressed his forehead to the stone, searching inside the tangle of emotions to try to unravel his feelings about setting Stane on fucking fire. The absence of guilt or fear spoke volumes, and Tony wondered what kind of person he had to be not to feel anything except satisfaction after a crime like that.

"Tony?"

He spun around to see Bucky standing a few feet away, hovering as if he wanted to reach out yet unsure how Tony would take the intrusion. "Are you okay?"

Tony swallowed thickly, running a hand over his face and scratching at his goatee. "Would you judge me too harshly if I told you that I'm fine?"

The corners of Bucky's lips twitched. "It depends on if you're lying to me or not."

"Then I'm fine," Tony sighed, leaning his back against the wall. "Really. And that's what's bothering me."

Bucky nodded slowly, coming to stand shoulder to shoulder with Tony. He leaned into the source of comfort without thinking about it. "I don't think there's a right way to feel about what just happened. Yes, he—they all died, but they were also trying to kill you. You and your family back in California are safe now. I'm sure those are contributing factors to your...non-reaction."

Tony blew out a loud breath and felt all of the weight sag from his shoulders. "Damn, you're right." He reached into his right coat pocket to pull his phone out. "JARVIS, you there, buddy?"

Bucky's eyebrows shot up in surprise when JARVIS' electronic British voice spoke through the speakers of Tony's phone.

"For you, Sir? Always."

"Thanks, buddy," Tony grinned, shooting Bucky a smirk. "Can you give Pepper, Happy, and Rhodey the all clear? Let them know that the problem in New York is handled. Tell her to send me the details on when to meet the lawyer and that I'll talk to her later."

"Of course, Sir. And might I say that it is a pleasure to have you back with us?"

"It's a pleasure to be back, J." Tony stuffed his phone back into his pocket and grinned at his old friend. "That was JARVIS, my A.I. He basically helps me and Pep run my company."

Bucky shook his head with a certain level of fondness that had Tony's chest warming. "I always knew you were something else. You and your robots." He smiled softly at Tony and nudged him with his metal arm. "Come on, Stevie wants us to meet him back in his room."

"Lead the way, Soldier."

Bucky snorted, throwing his metal arm around Tony's shoulders companionably and leading him deeper into the compound.

XX

Steve watched Tony force himself to keep a steady pace as he hurried out of the basement and nodded to Bucky to follow him. He didn't think Tony needed to be alone right now, especially after watching his own godfather burn to death.

Once he was sure Tony and Bucky were out of earshot, he addressed The Avengers. "Sam, Nat, Clint, you're on the clean-up crew. Bruce, you and Scott need to keep your ears open for any retaliation for Stane's death once it's public."

They all agreed readily to their assignments, and Steve took comfort in knowing that Loki and Thor hadn't moved from the compound's protection detail. As long as Tony stayed with them, Steve wanted him as safe as possible. Although, now, with the threat against his life neutralized, Tony would have no reason to remain in New York. He could go back to California, to his friends, family, and life without a second thought for Steve, Bucky, or The Avengers.

Bucky might have mentioned his conversation with Tony to Steve regarding Tony's lack of a relationship, even going so far as to punching Steve in the shoulder and wriggling his eyebrows annoyingly. But even if Tony was single, it didn't mean he still had feelings for Steve. After years of pent up hatred and devastation from their assumed betrayal, Steve would be lucky if Tony even spoke to him after he left the compound. Of course, now, with this business with Stane ended, they had nothing forcing them together.

Steve pinched the bridge of his nose before rolling his shoulders and straightening his spine. His crew would handle cleaning the basement, and all he really wanted to do at this moment was see Tony. If their time together really was down to a wire, then Steve didn't want to waste any time.

He found both him and Bucky sitting on opposite ends of Steve's couch, Tony legs sprawled out in front of him while Bucky's arms stretched along the back cushions. They were both grinning, and Tony's shoulders looked relaxed instead of the tense set Steve was expecting, so maybe Tony was handling everything better than he thought.

They turned to look at him when he cleared his throat to make his presence known, and Steve was altogether too pleased to see Tony's eyes light up. "How are you, Tony?"

Tony shrugged, sharing a knowing look with Bucky. "I'm good, Steve. Don't worry about me."

"I always worry about you."

Tony's cheeks flushed a pretty shade of scarlet, just like Steve remembered. However, this time around, he wondered just how far down that blush went. He coughed to derail his sudden train of thought, making his way towards the wall behind his desk. "I have something for you."

"Oh?" Tony asked, his voice peeked with interest. "What is it?"

Steve raised an eyebrow at him, silently communicating for him to be patient. Tony sunk back into the couch with a pout. It was not adorable. Really.

He hit the hidden switch beneath his desk, listening for the click of the panel sliding back against the wall. Tony perked up when he revealed a safe, and Bucky snorted when Steve entered the code—Tony's birthday, the day they met.

Steve took in a deep breath, pushing aside several folders worth of documents, including The Avengers' death certificates and dossiers. Instead, he pulled out the achingly familiar robot Tony rebuilt that very first night and the cane he always wanted to burn but never could convince himself to—not without Tony's permission.

Tony's eerily silent watching as Steve presents the items, setting them on the coffee table in front of him. Tony straightened in his seat while Bucky pushed up to his feet, arms crossing over his chest—on edge for a potential blow-up. They'd discussed giving Tony back his things last night, but neither of them knew how he would react.

"You kept this?" Tony asked quietly, running his hands over his robot almost delicately. Tension abruptly ratchets up in the room, leaving a trail of sweat sliding down Steve's neck. "After all this time? Why?"

Steve fought to keep his hands still at his side. Drawing in a deep breath, he tried to find the words he wanted to say to the only man he'd ever loved. "Tony, when I first met you thirteen years ago, I never could have guessed what kind of impact you would have on my life. On both of our lives," he added with a quick glance at Bucky. "You were a stranger, someone who didn't know either of us from Adam, but you just fit like you belonged with us. It only took three months for you to become one of the most important people in my life and even less time than that for me to fall completely in love with you."

Tony's sharp intake of air had Steve continuing with slight hesitation. "And—and then you were gone, and everything was different. I didn't realize how much I had changed until Buck and I sat in that warehouse, alone, with only your first robot and your father's cane to remember you by. I couldn't let you go—even if I tried—so I brought your things with me." He ran a hand over his face moving his gaze to the floor, unable to look Tony in the eye. "Hearing that you were dead—Tony, it broke something inside of me. I became something different, crueler, losing a part of my humanity I didn't even realize it was possible to live without. Then, miraculously, you came back to us—changing everything all over again. You showed me, once more, how there was a part of myself missing."

Moisture burned bright and hot in the corners of his eyes, and Steve squeezed them shut to keep the tears from falling. "I know you have a new life in California, friends and a family who love you and can protect you. I understand that you've moved on from Buck and me, that you don't have any reason to think about us ever again, but if you can find it within yourself to re-open that connection, I know both of us would give anything to be a part of your life again. Please, Tony."

The word tasted funny on his tongue; the only times he ever used it was when he was talking to Tony.

When he didn't receive a response, Steve looked up through his lashes. Tony's eyes were wide and confused, glistening in the fluorescent light while his lips parted in shock. He swiped his tongue across his lower lip, switching his gaze between the items on the coffee table, Steve, and Bucky. Finally, Tony made a strangled noise in the back of his throat.

"What the fuck," he breathed out, making both Steve and Bucky flinch back. "You both keep saying that! And I have no idea where the hell you're getting it from!"

Steve and Bucky chanced a glance at each other, both wincing at the vehemence in Tony's voice. Bucky swallowed a lump in his throat and frowned, "saying what, exactly?"

"That I've moved on from you two!" Tony exploded, standing to his feet and throwing his arms in the air. "Where the actual fuck did you get that idea?"

Steve blinked, feeling slightly dazed. "I just assumed—"

Tony shoved forward, pushing into Steve's space with a scowl, and the move felt so achingly familiar that it took Steve's breath away. "You two took me in when I was alone and scared—when I had nothing and no one. My father had spent his life up to that point making me regret my entire existence; then, you two came in and made me feel like I was actually worth something. When I thought you sold me out, I was devastated, Steve," Tony admitted, scraping his trembling hands through his hair.

"I spent years trying to forget you and what you did, but it was impossible. You two have been with me for every second of every day of the last thirteen years, even when I tried to drown you out with alcohol, drugs, and meaningless sex. If Rhodey didn't pull my head out of my ass, I wouldn't even be here right now." Tony's voice cracked, and tears gathered in the corners of his eyes. He sucked in a sharp breath and rubbed away the wetness from his cheeks. "Remember how you felt when you heard that I died? That's what it was like when I found you that you and Bucky were missing in action. I hacked into the military's database, even when Rhodey warned me not to because I had to know. I couldn't live with not knowing what happened to you two. I love the friends that I have now, Steve, I do. I wouldn't trade them for anything. But you two…you two were everything to me. I thought I lost you both.

"Dammit! If I didn't love you two assholes, I would be good by now, don't you think? I'd be better than barely getting by somehow." Tony's palms pressed against Steve's sternum, not quite pushing him away, but the feeling of Tony's hands on him left him weak enough to stumble beneath his weight. "It would be easy not to miss you, Steve. If I didn't love you, it wouldn't be so fucking hard to see you, to know how much I need you!"

Steve's hands came up to grip Tony's wrists, just on this side of too-tight, never once looking away from the deep, caramel eyes reflecting back against his own. "Hey, Buck?" He whispered, his head angling towards Bucky but not turning to look in his best friend's direction.

"Yeah, Stevie?" Bucky asked hoarsely, his voice wobbling.

"I think you should leave now."

"Yup," his best friend agreed, already halfway out the door.

Steve didn't waste another moment, throwing his arms around Tony, lifting him up by the waist to throw him back against the couch with a slight bounce. He didn't hesitate to fall on top of Tony, finally letting go of thirteen years worth of cracks in his chest, pressing against him from head to toe as he attacked Tony's mouth with a low growl ripping from deep within his chest. Their teeth clashed, and their tongues battled for dominance—it was every bit as perfect and messy as their first kiss so many years ago.

While one of Tony's hands clawed at Steve's back, the other dug into his hair, yanking until he exposed Steve's throat. Tony made a wounded noise and leaned forward to suck, nip, and bite along the taut skin, and a muffled groan escaped Steve's lips as he ground his hips against Tony's. They both hissed in pleasure when their bodies aligned, and Tony thrust his hips up to gain more friction on his cock.

"Off," Steve demanded hotly, shoving up to sit on his knees and hastily ripping off Tony's suit jacket, desperate to get a taste of Tony's skin. He'd been dreaming about it for thirteen years, and now that he finally had a chance to get his hands on it, Steve wasn't going to wait another second. A frantic sound escaped Tony's throat as not one but two layers of his clothes peeled away hastily, before he set to work on Steve's. They took a few detours, both decorating the other in a pattern of bruises along freshly bared skin until they were achingly hard.

When Steve finally divests Tony of all his clothes, leaving him gloriously naked, he forces them to slow down with an enormous amount of effort, panting wetly into Tony's mouth, caressing over his waist and sliding his hand down one thigh, wrapping the leg around his back. Tony looked ethereal against the stark-white couch with his olive skin, flushed and arched up towards Steve. "God, Tony," Steve choked out, a tangle of emotions wrapping tightly beneath his sternum. "You're beautiful. Perfect. I've missed you so fucking much."

Tony's hands cupped Steve's cheeks, his calloused hands pulling Steve down until their foreheads touched softly, and Steve could feel Tony's eyelashes against his cheek. "I love you. I never stopped, not for a second, even when I should have. You and Bucky were everything to me, Steve. You still are."

A sob tears through Steve's throat as he meets Tony's lips again, the hunger and urgency dialing back up to eleven, leaving them unable to stop until every inch of their bodies pressed together. A wave of heat and pleasure spiked down his spine as their cocks rubbed against one another. Tony threw his head back with a mewl, and Steve wanted nothing more than to make Tony make that noise again and again. Their hips ground together and Steve sucked and tugged on Tony's lips, throat, jaw, and ear, lips pressed to every part of Tony that he could.

"Steve, Steve, ah, ah, please!"

"Fuck," Steve swore hotly, reaching down between them to gather their mixture of leaking pre-cum to ease the way before taking both of their cocks in hand. "Oh, God!"

Tony's arms draped over Steve's shoulders, his nails digging into his shoulder blades hard enough to break the skin, but he didn't care. He couldn't focus on anything except the intensity, enthralled in the rapture of Tony surrounding him. Steve's heartbeat pounds in his ears; his veins feel like fire as the wave of pleasure crests higher and higher, emboldened by the breathy "ah, ah, yes" sounds pouring from Tony's lips.

Finally, they crash together with a combination of their screams echoing across the room, spilling their release in Steve's hand, painting their chests with their spend. Tony sucked in deep breaths to slow down his heart rate with a dopey smile on his face while Steve let out a colossal sigh of satisfaction, rolling over to avoid dropping his considerable weight on top of Tony.

What he failed to realize was that they were still on the fucking couch.

Steve landed on the cold tile floor with a thunk and a curse, cradling his elbow while trying not to correct his poor balance with his semen-covered hand. Tony watched the scene before him with wide, dazed eyes until he descended into giggles, bending over and holding his ribs until tears gathered in the corners of his eyes. The fall may have knocked Steve out of his stupor, but seeing Tony so completely lost to his joy made Steve forget everything except this moment right here.

Tony reached out, finding Steve's clean hand while still shaking with laughter. "You're an idiot, Steven Grant Rogers, but I fucking love you."

Steve tightened his grip on Tony's hand and pulled until the smaller man was straddling his waist, knees on either side of his hips, and smothered his lover's face in kisses as they lay together on the floor. "I love you too, Tony."

XX

Tony sat across his family's estate lawyer, Jonah Alvez, with his hands intertwined across his chest. He blinked and shook his head, swallowing harshly against the sudden lump in his throat. Every nerve under his skin suddenly lit up at the lawyer's words. "I'm sorry, Mr. Alvez, did you just say that my father left me…"

"Everything," the man sitting across from him confirmed, looking at him over the tops of his half-moon glasses. Alvez cleared his throat and turned the stack of documents in his hands towards Tony. "Howard came to me three months ago and requested that I update his will so that it named you as the heir of his estate rather than Mr. Stane. He was quite adamant about it, if I might say so myself."

Holy shit. Tony sagged in the wooden chair, moving to grip the edges of the desk between them. "So that means that I," he hesitated, licking his lips and furrowing his brow, "I—what? Get the Manor? A seat on the board?"

"Not just that, Mr. Stark—er, Carbonell, but also the overwhelming majority of SI's shares. You now own the company's controlling interest, in addition to your parent's properties in Montana, Key West, Venice, and the Stark Manor. Not to mention, you now own SI's warehouses and factories located across the globe. These are all listed in Section 7, page twenty-three."

Tony had no idea how to feel. His mind had stuttered to a halt, stuck on the fact that his father, in his sane and right mind, left him everything. Yes, Howard must have figured out that Stane was dirty, but that didn't mean he had to leave his company to Tony, of all people. It was no secret that they despised each other. They hadn't even spoken since he shoved Tony off to MIT, and he certainly hadn't tried to get in touch with him once Tony moved to Malibu. Howard could have given everything to charity or divided his shares up between his board members.

But, no.

"Mr. Carbonell?" Alvez asked, tapping on the desk gently to gain Tony's attention. "If you'll just sign here, please. Then we'll be done. Would you like to review the documents together?"

Tony shook his head, already planning on having Pepper, their lawyer, and Steve's lawyers, Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson, look over everything. "No, thanks. I've got it covered."

After signing the paperwork, Mr. Alvez shook Tony's hand before Tony led him to the door; his mind stuck on how his father thought it appropriate to leave his son a weapons manufacturing company after fifteen years of continued verbal and physical abuse. Yes, the money would be nice, he'd essentially become a multi-millionaire overnight, but Tony never cared about the cash. He'd built his own clean-energy empire from the ground up, money hadn't been an issue since the first few years of its inception.

But now he also owned SI, with its headquarters out of New York of all places, a thrill of excitement shot down Tony's spine. The fact that Steve, Bucky, and The Avengers were here as well was icing on the cake. After their night together (and another round in the morning—in a proper bed this time), Steve and Tony agreed to try their hand at a long-distance relationship. He wasn't ready to let either Steve or Bucky go now that he had them back, but with Carbonell Energy in California, Tony couldn't stay in New York much longer. He had a company to run and designs to return to.

Now, though? The possibilities were endless. First, Tony would need to have his lawyers prepare for a merger between Stark Industries and Carbonell Energy. After that, he'll need to prepare and deal with the fall-out that was sure to come when he shut down the weapons manufacturing division of SI. The stock market would take a sizeable hit, but, for far too long, Howard and his white-washed board of directors had continued on without any accountability. With Tony in charge, everything would change.

He had plans to complete his miniaturized Arc Reactor, which would change the face of clean-energy as the world knew it, and partner up with Doctor Stephen Strange, Doctor Bruce Banner, and Bucky to create a line of affordable and reliable prosthetics—first for veterans, and then for the public at large. Once he broke through the barriers of the medical field, Tony wanted to dive into other scientific fields, including aeronautics, robotics, mico-technology, and fringe science. Tony had also been thinking about letting JARVIS stretch his parameters a bit. If Tony built a few additional A.I.s to help run SI and Carbonell Energy, he could strip down a few layers of JARVIS' restrictions. If Apple thought that Siri was impressive, then they'd be blown away by the sheer capabilities of a real A.I.

And although he had no interest in taking over the mantle of The Merchant of Death, Tony wouldn't allow any harm to come to The Avengers either. Not after they took him in so readily, protecting him from Stane, Rollins, and his crew as if he were one of their own. Steve deserved a shield that embodied everything he is and represents, and Bucky's metal arm was in dire need of a few "Stark" upgrades. After spending more time with the other Avengers, Tony already had designs in mind for a biometrically-altered mechanical hammer which holds hundreds of volts of electricity for Thor, a new collapsible recurve-bow with a mechanized quiver and an array of trick arrows for Clint, a set of electroshock batons for Natasha, a personalized weapons droid for Sam, and several essential computer software upgrades for both Scott and Bruce. He had no idea what Loki might want besides unlimited access to books and safes, but he's resolved to find out.

Tony also had plans for setting up a college-fund account for the teenagers within The Avengers. After everything they'd been through in their lives, Wanda, Pietro, and Peter all deserved to go to whichever school they wished without worrying about how to pay for it. Hell, if they wanted, they would be welcome to come work for him as well once he got everything set up. Tony had a feeling Peter and Harley, his research assistant back in California, would work together well.

"Sir?" A familiar British voice broke him out of his thought process. "Are you well? My scans indicate that you've been immobile for close to thirty minutes."

Tony jerked in place, surprised at how much time had passed. "I'm fine, J, thanks. Can you get Pepper on the line?"

"One moment, Sir."

As promised, Pepper's voice flitted through his phone's speakers just a few seconds later. "Tony? How did everything go with the estate lawyer?"

Tony blew out a sharp breath and couldn't help the corners of his lips from tilting upwards. "I'd say it went pretty well."

"Really? What did the Will say?"

Tony chuckled, closing his eyes and resting the back of his head against the front door where he'd led the lawyer out of the Manor. "How would you feel about moving to New York?"

XX

When Tony returned to the compound with a bounce in his step, he headed straight for the gym. Steve texted him earlier, letting him know about The Avengers' training routine and wished him luck on the meeting. He nodded his hello's to Loki, Bruce, and Scott, searching the gym to see Clint and Natasha working out side by side on the set of treadmills while Thor and Sam focused their attention on the free weights. He found Steve and Bucky boxing in the ring in the center of the room. Steve must have pulled his shirt off before stepping under the ropes because his miles of tanned skin was soaked with sweat, not unlike Bucky's drenched hoodie. They danced around each other, striking out with their gloves and sharp kicks every few seconds.

Tony swallowed past the arousal churning low in his stomach, coming forward to hang his arms on the ropes. He watched the two of them parry, attack and dodge, quite sure that if it were anyone else in the ring, they'd have already been on the ground with cracked ribs or a broken collarbone. Steve and Bucky were both incredibly violent in their own right, but when they delved into the mindset of The Captain and The Winter Soldier, they were near unstoppable.

Fuck, Tony must have a death wish, never wanting to leave their sides.

He whistled to get their attention, pleased when both men dropped their hands instantly, looking towards him with wide grins. Tony crouched down to grab their respective water bottles and handed them to his oldest friends.

"Hey, Tony," Bucky greeted warmly, panting from exertion. "How did the meeting go?"

Tony shrugged, not quite ready to reveal the good news. "Do you mind if I get a hold of Murdock and Nelson? I have some documents I'd like for them to go over."

Steve's brow furrowed as he sucked down a few gulps of water, then dumped a bit over the top of his head. "Of course not; they're at your disposal. Anything we should know?"

"I don't know…" Tony sighed dramatically, shoving his hands into his pocket and turning his back on them. He began to pace slowly, feeling the tension in the room dial up to eleven. The Avengers must have sensed something was up because they all abandoned their workouts to form a semi-circle around them. Steve and Bucky both stepped out of the ring and pulled up close, and Tony had to fight to keep his face neutral. "Howard made a pretty bold move before he died."

"Oh?" Steve asked, his voice filled with worry. "What did he do? Is everything okay?"

"If you consider him leaving me Stark Industries and all of his properties across the globe, okay, then sure, everything's okay."

He was met with silence. Tony spun around to see everyone watching him with wide eyes. "What does that mean?" Bucky demanded, stepping closer.

Finally, Tony couldn't help it; he let his grin stretch across his entire face. "It means I'm moving to New York, Buck. You can't get rid of me now."

He'd barely finished speaking when he's suddenly lifted off the ground in a crushing bear-hug, Bucky's delighted laughter in his ear. Tony squeezed back just as tightly, only letting go so that he could fall into Steve's outstretched arms. Steve captured his lips in a dirty, possessive, claiming kiss, his arms snaking around Tony's waist and across his shoulders, caging him in, while The Avengers cheered around them. "God, I love you, Tony."

Tony pressed their foreheads together, not even remotely bothered by the sweat. "I love you too, Steve."

XX